In the wake of Portland's upset win over Sporting Kansas City Saturday night:

That team-wide exhale in the Portland Timbers locker room after a 1-0 upset victory over Sporting Kansas City could be heard in the upper reaches of Jeld-Wen field.

It isn’t like a four-game losing streak had members of the Timbers Army deserting, but as coach John Spencer said, “we’ve been battered pillar to post, and slaughtered in the press, but nobody feels sorry for you.’’

Goalkeeper Troy Perkins said it was time that Portland stood up and got physical.

Perkins also seemed a little bent out of shape that Major League Soccer pundits were talking like Saturday night’s match between the haves and have-nots was like FC Barcelona vs. the Timbers reserves.

“Seven games in, and people were already giving them the Cup,’’ said Perkins.

“We were tired of getting walked over at home.’’

Against big, physical, previously undefeated Sporting Kansas City, the Timbers smacked of desperation and played like it, too.

Spencer spoke of being under more pressure than he’d felt in two years. He talked about having “15 lucky Shamrocks’’ in his pocket while Portland hung on in the second half.

“I thought they stood up like men,’’ he said of his players.

Spencer said it was, “an ugly performance, and probably an ugly game to watch.’’

Not for the home fans. Not for a Timbers’ team that resolved to finally keep a second-half lead.

Said Perkins, “it doesn’t have to be pretty.’’

Captain Jack Jewsbury said the last 15 minutes was nervewracking, but during a stoppage in play for an injury he said the older players looked at each other and nodded.

“We kind of got everybody together and said ‘hey, this is the time we’ve got to prove it, not only to ourselves but to everybody else.’’

Perkins nearly mis-played a ball into the tying goal in the dying minutes but central defender Hanyer Mosquera bailed him out with a save on the line.

“It was a bit of a mess there that I made,’’ said Perkins. “We’re there for each other now.’’

Perkins said of his teammates, “we can’t be afraid to make mistakes, we can’t be afraid to lose.’’

Portland made mistakes, but the there was no fear in the Timbers’ play against a team that had been routinely strangling MLS opponents with its defense but clearly had tired legs after three games in eight days.

“We pushed and pushed,’’ said Jewsbury, “and it was great to get the three points. It was nice to finally see some smiles on some people’s faces after a game.’’

Is it possible that an own goal could be the spark that ignites the Timbers the rest of the season?

Kansas City defender Chance Myers’ first-half header into his own net was a thing of beauty to the Timbers Army - and the Timbers - even if it left Myers shaking his head and Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen fuming.

Perkins said “little things were adding up to big things’’ during Portland’s losing streak.

Little things added up to big things on the only goal of the night. A long ball skipped past the Kansas City defense and left striker Kris Boyd with some room.

Boyd send a cross into the box and a ball that should have been easily cleared ended up in the back of the KC net after Myers’ head got in the way.

“You kind of make your luck,’’ said Jewsbury. “Boyd put the ball in a dangerous area, and you never know what’s going to happen. Fortunately it went our way tonight.’’

Perkins said Portland can’t get carried away with one home victory. “We’re supposed to win at home,’’ he reasoned.

Jewsbury said, “it was just a matter of having that swagger back (in Jeld-Wen). I thought every single guy on the team tonight put in a full 90 minutes.’’

Spencer said Myers’ gaffe was the “little bit of luck’’ Portland needed to stop the bleeding.